He Bottles Their Souls
by DreamingAboutDaDoctor
Summary: The Doctor and Rose find themselves on the planet Retwa, but things aren't all what they seem. Behind closed doors things have been going on that even the Doctor can't quite believe, but will the Doctor and Rose save the day before its too late?
1. Retwa

The ancient engines whirled and whined; the central column of the TARDIS swirled up and down, humming its familiar centuries' old melody, one of the most beautiful sounds in the universe. The most beautiful thought the Doctor. Turning away from his beloved TARDIS, the Doctor twisted round to face one of most beautiful women in the universe. The most beautiful thought the Doctor, but of course he would never tell her that, goodness, what would Rose say to that? She'd probably laugh it off, think of it as a joke, but it wasn't one. He really thought she was that beautiful, she meant so much to him; he loved her and seeing her standing there next to him made him love her all the more. There weren't many people in the world that would put up with the Doctor's way of life but Rose had always stood beside him, his faithful companion. He grinned his hearty grin at Rose, the one that always made her go weak at the knees and asked "Where to next?"

Rose beamed back at him. Where to go? They had the whole universe the Doctor and her, the whole of time and space. "Somewhere lively, I'm in a good mood, somewhere…"

"Busy" the Doctor finished her sentence for her.

"Yeah, busy."

"Okay dokey, busy it is. I know a perfect place," said the Doctor animatedly spinning around the control panel, twirling buttons here and there, "Just off the Jakura system, there's a planet bustling with trade and people, thriving with people!" he said animatedly spreading his arms wide, his face alive and glowing at the thought of a different world. Rose giggled; she loved his various descriptions of new planets. "51st century, the planet Retwa, home of humans and aliens alike," announced the Doctor.

"Humans? Living with aliens?" asked Rose inquiringly.

"Oh yeah! They love it!" grinned the Doctor, "Fancy it?" he asked

"Yeah, why not!" agreed Rose, following the Doctor round the control room as he hopped around adjusting things. He got to the coordinates panel, and turned to Rose, his tongue touching the roof of his mouth and his eyes alive and shimmering. "Off we go then," he said punching some numbers into the panel, and with a whoosh and a groan of the engines they were off, the TARDIS dancing its way along amongst the stars, next stop, Retwa.


	2. The Man With The Flier

Rose stepped out onto the planet Retwa, she got that exhilarating feeling that she always got when she visited a different place. She closed her eyes and breathed in the fresh morning air, at least she thought it was the morning, time got very jumbled when you were living with the Doctor.

He shut the TARDIS door behind her locking it with his key and placing it back in his pocket, and with that they were off, the Doctor and Rose, arm in arm.

The walked for about 10 minutes until they got to the nearest interplanetary bus lay-by. The space-bus pulled up and they hitched a ride, as usual the Doctor holding out his psychic paper to be scanned, no questions asked. Rose often wondered what some people saw written on that paper, they often looked at the Doctor in a different way afterwards, respecting him more, like he was a king or something.

The space-bus advanced in on the main city. Huge looming gates welcomed the bus; Rose gazed up in awe as they passed under them The Doctor just stood there, staring straight ahead a huge soppy grin on his face.

The green skies of Retwa were filled with countless types of spaceships, honking and swerving around each other, it reminded Rose of the motorway near the Powell estate where she used to live, or still did if she ever got back home. Towering skyscrapers reached up to the heavens above and the smooth pavements bellow stretched out for miles.

"Wow" was all Rose could say. The Doctor chuckled and grabbed her hand pulling her along the pavement with him. The people they passed along the road were mainly human except for the occasional Alzarian. They all looked happy and at home and Rose decided she liked this place. Rose was walking along in a bit of a daze, she was woken from this when suddenly the Doctor stopped, yanking her back as he still had hold of her hand.

"Look, look at this!" he exclaimed.

"What? What is it?" asked Rose a bit agitated at being pulled back so quickly, her arm hurt.

"A quiz!" said the Doctor pointing to a flier attached to a wall. He ripped it down and started reading it intently. All of a sudden, the piece of paper was torn from out of his grasp. "Oi!" he exclaimed frowning at the man standing next to him holding the flyer that the Doctor had claimed as his own.

"What did you do that for? Give it back, don't people have a right to read these days?" he huffed trying to grab the flier back, the man jumping out of his way avoiding his hand.

"Sir, listen to me you don't understand," the frightened man said in hushed tones. The Doctor straightened up; he could see the fear in the man's eyes, "What is it? What's wrong, tell me," said the Doctor.

The man looked around him checking nobody was listening in, he then leaned in towards the Doctor and Rose. "It all started about 2 months ago. This company starting putting up fliers about a quiz, something about if you answered the questions correctly you won a spacex 5000 or something like that. Everyone was interested, and it wasn't until 3 weeks after the quizzes started, people started to realize things were wrong. It seems that the people who get all the answers correct are taken into a separate room from the other members of the quiz and never seen again. There is no prize giving or award ceremony or anything, nothing. They just disappear. You can't go to this quiz. You two look clever, they might get you as well," he said clutching the flier tightly to his chest, "Please listen to me, it's not safe," begged the man.

The Doctor looked away, contemplating what the man had just said, "Disappearing did you say?" said the Doctor. The other man nodded, and the Doctor grinned, "Brilliant!" he said jumping up and down.

The man with the flier looked startled; Rose comforted him with "He's always like this."

"Don't worry," said the Doctor, "Rose and I will sort this out, we'll find out where those people are going and we will return them, I promise." The man nodded. "Thank you" he said, the Doctor tapped him on the shoulder and turned back to Rose. "I guess we're taking part in a quiz then," asked Rose.

"You guessed right!" he answered, there was a shy cough from behind the Doctor, the man was looking in wonder up at him, "Who are you?" he asked in awe of the Doctor.

"I'm the Doctor and this is Rose," said the Doctor proudly, linking his arm with Rose's. "Allons-y!" he said grabbing the flier off of the man, and walking away pulling Rose behind him.

The Retwainian called out to them, "Oh, Doctor," he shouted and the Doctor and Rose turned, "my wife was one of the people who went missing." The Doctor stood staring at the man, seeing him in a different light now. He nodded, he had lost people, friends, family, lovers, he knew pain and he couldn't bear to see others in pain. "I'll find your wife," he promised.


	3. In The Taxi With The Alzarian

The Doctor's high pitched whistle rang out; Rose gasped, clamping her hands over her ears. "Ow, do you mind?" she said, irritated as she rubbed her ears. "Sorry," said the Doctor with a grin, opening the door of the space-taxi that had just pulled up and was hovering next to them, "After you," he said waving Rose in first.

The Doctor and Rose clambered into the back of the taxi. Looking up, Rose saw that the driver was an Alzarian; at least she thought he was, they looked the same as humans but she was slightly unnerved by the way his eyes followed her around the taxi, which led her to believe, that they weren't quite from the same race. She shivered as the driver's icy stare bore into her. Rose moved closer to the Doctor, she felt safer like that. He smiled down at her as the taxi drove off. The driver was busy driving, and Rose now had the chance to ask the Doctor what he thought about him.

"Oh yeah, Alzarian alright,"

"How do you know?" Rose whispered

"I just do," replied the Doctor indignantly

"You just do?" asked Rose patronizingly

The Doctor sighed when he saw that Rose wanted a more sufficient answer then that.

"You smell different."

"I smell different?" laughed Rose, still in hushed tones.

"Yeah, Alzarians smell more marshy and muddy, and you smell more sweet and tantalizing," There was silence and the Doctor could feel a burning sensation starting to grow on his cheeks.

"I smell tantalizing?" inquired Rose

"No, of course not, I meant the human race, all of you smell sweet not just you," he said, getting hot under the collar. His obvious embarrassment amused Rose and she laughed, "You like the way I smell," she said rolling her tongue and dragging out the word smell for quite a while. "Stop it," said the Doctor looking away.

"It's okay, you smell nice too," said Rose chuckling to herself. All was quiet in the back of the taxi.

The space-taxi drew up to a large stone building near the middle of the town; it looked like some kind of castle with the battlements and all. "Are you sure this is the right place?" asked Rose.

"Yeah, well this is where it says on the flier," said the Doctor looking down at his piece of paper. They were out of the taxi now, and heading towards the castle like building, "I think it's a town hall of some kind," said the Doctor to nobody in particular. When they got to the front door they were now sure that it was the right place, the fliers were dotted everywhere and there was a big sign saying "Quiz this way". The Doctor turned to Rose.

"Stay alert, okay? If you see or hear something strange tell me,"

"Sure, but Doctor, I suck at quizzes, when I was at school they used to do those general knowledge quizzes and guess who came last every week, yeah, that's right, me." said Rose looking at the ground, The Doctor laughed, Rose smacked him on the arm. "Look," he said, "these aren't any old quizzes; this is the 51st century Rose, the quizzes are on space, duh!"

"Oh," said Rose

"Yeah, and I think you know quite a bit on space don't you?" chuckled the Doctor childishly, Rose grinned and nodded.

"Try and get as good a score as you can, we want to be in the higher scoring bracket so we get taken into that separate room that man was talking about,"

"Gotcha" said Rose

"Good luck," said the Doctor, hugging her.

"You too," she said as they were led into a hall full of about 100 people sitting at desks with upside-down papers in front of them.

The Doctor was ushered to one side of the room and Rose, the other. And without further ado, the test began.

Looking up from the first question of the test paper, Rose caught the Doctor's eye, in that look they shared a lot, memories, good times, laughter; it all came back to both of them. Looking down again Rose re-read question one. "The Boeshane Peninsula's most famous local celebrity is also known as?" Rose was pretty sure she knew the answer and the Doctor's look confirmed it, The Face of Boe.

A/N: I hope you guys thought that was okay, sorry if I went on a bit in the taxi part, it wasn't meant to last that long, sorry!


	4. The Quiz That Didn't End Well

The Doctor had finished way before Rose, she could see him out of the corner of her eye absentmindedly chewing the end of his pencil and staring at the ceiling. Rose was surprised at how much she knew; she smiled to herself once again, as another question came up that she knew the answer to, answers that the Doctor had told her about and shown to her. She finished with time to spare, Rose was proud of herself; she thought she had done alright and that surprised her. Looking around her she could see all the participants of the test busily writing or else re-reading their work. Walking down the isle was a young lady in a tight suit with a clipboard; she was in charge of running this thing Rose supposed. She looked stern and professional, certainly not somebody Rose would consider being friendly with, but to Rose's surprise when the woman caught her looking she smiled, her hard exterior cracking, revealing her soft and friendly core. "That's not right," thought Rose, the people running this quiz were meant to be evil and inhuman according to that man on the street. Maybe he'd been wrong? Or else Rose had a very poor judge of character and the smile was more of a sneer? No, it wasn't Rose was sure, she smiled back.

Tick, tick, tick. Rose counted down the last few seconds as the clock hand moved rhythmically towards the 12. "Time's up!" called out the friendly stern woman.

"Pass the papers to the end of the row," Rose handed her paper forward, smiling to herself, it was like she was at school again!

She watched as all the papers were collected in and soon the participants stared to move and mingle with each other, she got up from her seat and skipped over to the Doctor, he grinned at her, his chocolaty brown eyes glistening, Rose could feel herself sinking into them, she shook her head, trying to concentrate on something other than how good looking he was. "So, umm how'd it go for you?" she asked.

He cocked an eyebrow, "Okay, okay, I know how it went, easy, of course you knew all the answers and you probably made up some of your own questions to put in whilst you were at it," sighed Rose.

"Ooh, how could I not?" he replied.

"Anyway, enough about me, how'd you do?"

"Alright I guess," said Rose. A cheeky smile, spread across the Doctor's face.

"I know that look Rose Tyler,"

"What look?"

"That look,"

"WHAT LOOK?"

"That look that is on your face right now," he said pointing, "your modest look, I think you did a little better than alright!"

Rose couldn't help but smile, "I knew the answers Doctor! For the first time in my life, I knew the answers, and that's all because of you!" she said pulling him into a tight hug, he pulled away, shaking his head, "No, Rose, that was all you, I didn't answer them questions for you, you did!"

"Still," said Rose

"Enough," said the Doctor putting a finger to her lips, and then quickly removing it, he shouldn't do things like that, he told himself. One day he would get carried away, and then who knows where that would leave him and Rose. She was so damned pretty; he had trouble controlling himself sometimes. Whilst he silently cursed himself, the adjudicator, the woman in the suit, started to write the names of the people who scored highest up on a board. Tapping Rose on the shoulder, they turned to see if they were up there. "Wow that was quick! What, have the marked them already?"

"Computer generated marking, it takes seconds, it's the writing up of the names which takes time."

Number 1, John Smith, 100%. "That's me!" said the Doctor elated. Rose giggled at his childish enthusiasm. The names continued to go up. Rose bit her lip as the next 5 went up and she wasn't any of them, "What did it matter anyway?" she thought, she didn't care. Oh, who was she kidding, she did care; she thought she'd done well! Number 10, the last place, please let it be her, let her be there with the Doctor. She closed her eyes.

A whoop shrilled out from next to her. "Way to go Rose!" cried out the Doctor. She looked up and saw her name up on the board. Her celebratory time didn't last long; suddenly she and the Doctor were yanked roughly backwards by their arms by two hefty doormen who had been standing behind them. "Oi!" the Doctor cried out as he and Rose started to be pulled backwards out of the room.

Screaming and kicking they were hurled into a side room, which was full with the 8 other high scorers. There was pandemonium. Screams and sickening screeches came from in the room and out. Rose pounded at the door with her fists, "What's going on outside?" she shouted to the Doctor who could hardly hear her over the din from outside the door.

"I would hazard a guess that they're retoconing them," he shouted back

"Retcon?"

"Yeah, it's an amnesia pill, makes you forget. I guess that's how the whole world doesn't know about what ever scandal is going on here," the Doctor said running his hands through his hair, screwing his face up at the sound of one of the high scoring people crying uncontrollably.

"But, that man, he knew. He knew about this, he warned us,"

"I guess somebody must have slipped out the back and escaped, it happens."

"So," said Rose looking around her at the people in the room with them. Two lovers were wrapped around each other crying on the floor, she wished her and the Doctor were that close, an old man was curled up in a corner, his frightened eyes looking up the Doctor and her, most of the others were trying to break open the door, and were not having much luck. "What happens to us?" she asked looking up at the Doctor's worried face. "I don't know, I don't know. It must be something to do with being clever, but what? Think Doctor think!" he said jumping around and whacking his head, his crazed eyes frightening the old man in the corner, making him back even further up against the wall. Rose ran over to the man, and tried to comfort him, "It's going to be okay," she said rubbing his arm. The Doctor wasn't so sure. Suddenly, a noise came from outside, silence. Probably the most terrifying sound Rose had ever heard, silence meant that whatever had been happening outside had ended. Which meant they were next. There was a bang on the door.

A/N: Hope that was okay for you guys please review I will try to post next chapter sometime soon, maybe even later today?


	5. Into The Van

The door opened. In charged the two burly doormen, the young couple were dragged out screaming, and pushed forward, "Walk towards the van, NOW! Or I'll shoot!" barked out one of the men, holding up a massive gun to their heads. With a whimper, they started walking forward, the men motioned to the rest of the room to move also, and soon they were all out of the room with the door shut behind them.

Walking through the debris of the now ruined quiz room, Rose and the Doctor looked around with unbelieving eyes at all the now sleeping people lying on the floor. "They will wake and won't remember a thing about this quiz. Nothing, not even how they found out about it," said the Doctor to Rose, his brow furrowing in anger. Rose shook her head in disbelief, "It's inhuman!" The Doctor nodded. Looking up at the two men guiding them through the room, Rose saw the Doctor's eyes tighten and become wary.

"What? What's wrong?" Rose asked nervously.

"These two," said the Doctor, indicating towards the hefty men, "look at their eyes."

Rose gave the Doctor a questioning look. Their eyes? She turned to look towards the nearest man; his eyes were crimson orbs, softly glowing in their sockets. She gasped, what was wrong with them? She waved her hand in front of the man's eyes, they didn't flicker, he just kept on walking. "Is he hypnotised or something?" Rose asked.

"Yeah. Looks like it, which means somebody bigger and more powerful is running this thing. This is worse than I first thought," sighed the Doctor, "what's the problem with you lot? Hmm? You humans just walk into traps as if you're blindfolded; anything for a free burger or what ever the prize happens to be,"

"I've never done anything for a free burger!" exclaimed Rose.

"Shush!" shouted one of the large men, jabbing the gun into Rose's back.

"Alright, alright!" she huffed, they had now reached the van which they were supposed to be going off in, but where to? Where were they taking them? She was scared, but she had learnt to hide her fear, as the Doctor did. So, with a look on her face which she hoped looked brave and strong, she clambered into the back of the van, where it was heading she didn't know, nor did she want to know.

A/N: Sorry it's a short chapter, but it felt right short. Hopefully there are no mistakes, if there are please tell me and I will try to correct them. Review, please review! I hope you enjoyed it.


	6. Into The Van continued

The journey took about half an hour. There were no windows in the van but due to the way the van moved, up and down as well as left and right, Rose assumed they were flying. A flying van, well it could be worse.

Rose sighed, wrapping her arms around herself, it was getting chilly. The Doctor was fine; he had his long trench coat on, all she had on was a flimsy t-shirt from New Look.

Whilst Rose sat hugging herself, the Doctor beside her was deep in thought. His thoughts jumped from one thing to another, his brain had so many things stored away he often had to look long and hard for pieces of information that he had hidden away years ago, he was looking, looking for anything that could make him understand what was going on here, but there was nothing. "Come on think Doctor," he said to himself inside his head, he was getting frustrated, this was so unlike him, he should have guessed what was going on ages ago, yet he hadn't. He shuffled in his seat, he had to act confident and like he knew the answer for Rose's sake, "Come on Doctor, pull yourself together," the voice in his head shouted. He sat up and breathed out, composing himself and fixing a half-smile on his face. Seeing that Rose was looking pale and her arms were goose pimpled he started to take off his coat to give to her.

Feeling the Doctor moving beside her, Rose looked to see him offering her his coat. She shook her head but he gave it to her anyway, putting it around her shoulders. Rose smiled to herself, he really did care.

Moments after, the van came to an abrupt stop. The contents and people in the van were flung forward. The old man ended up on top of the Doctor, and Rose ended up being grabbed by the young man, who she presumed had mistaken her for his girlfriend. With a few apologies and a lot of shuffling around, they were all on their feet again, watching anxiously as the doors opened, revealing a scrap yard and a huge industrial looking building beyond it.


	7. Out And About In The Dust

Stepping out onto the dirt, the Doctor looked about him at the stretch of land surrounding them. The wind picked up, blowing dust in the Doctor's face, Rose shivered and hugged the coat tight around her. "What is this place?" she asked, gazing around her at the barren wasteland, finally gazing upon the huge steel building in the distance.

"Some sort of yard, that looks like a warehouse, somewhere where people produce goods I think," the Doctor said, now turning to the two men with the softly glowing lights brimming from their eye sockets, "Where are we? Where are you taking us?" the Doctor demanded.

"You will be taken," the men said in unison.

"Taken? Taken? What's that meant to mean?" asked the Doctor, his voice getting higher, his anger now showing on his face, and also in his eyes. Rose was startled to find it almost looked like a fire was blazing in his eyes. Russet flames licking around the pupil, scorching, showing how deep the anger was and how powerful.

His eyes narrowed. The fire ebbed away. He moved closer to Rose, and whispered, "We need to get out of here. Away from these two," he said nodding to the men who were stood blankly staring whilst the rest of the group go out of the van.

"What? Leave them? Leave these people to be 'taken', whatever that means," Rose said aghast.

"No!" the Doctor said infuriated with Rose for even thinking such a thing, "Of course not! We'll rescue them too. I have an idea, I know it will work, and when everyone is safe, we, me and you, need to find a way to get in and find out what's going on here."

"Yes sir," said Rose saluting, standing up straight and stomping her foot down in the dirt. The Doctor's face fell, "Aww, don't! You know how I hate it when people salute," he said, shivering at the thought of it.

"Sorry," she said.

"I forgive you," the Doctor said with a cheeky smile on his face.

From behind them, the two men starting jabbing the hostages with their guns and pushing them forward. "Looks like we're off again," said the Doctor, striding forward with Rose at his heel. And so like that the entourage of 8 clever Retwainians, 2 hypnotized body builders, 1 young woman very far from home and 1 Time Lord with no home, started walking forward towards the warehouse building.

It didn't take long and soon they had reached it. This, Rose presumed was when the Doctor's plan came in, what ever it was. She had absolute faith that it would work, his plans always did. Although they worked, Rose wished he wouldn't just make them up on the spot half the time, it scared her half to death when he cut it so close, but she supposed that was what it was like, travelling with the Doctor. Lots of danger and many close shaves. Not that she was complaining.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the Doctor reach into his tightly fitted suit pocket, pulling out what looked like a futuristic wand. He held the sonic screwdriver up to the sky, looking at it as if it was the crown jewels. Still with it held in the air, he turned and called to the two hypnotized men. "Oi, you two!" he called, as they turned in unison to face him. "Feel this!" he cried turning swiftly and pointing the end of the sonic and the two men. Out came a fierce shrieking noise, penetrating out of the sonic screwdriver. The two men screamed, falling to the ground, withering in pain as the noise pelted against their ear drums. Rose clasped her hands against her ears, this was worse than the Doctor's whistle. The other people also held their hands against their ears, staring at the Doctor in shocked disbelief as he held his glowing blue wand out at arms length, pointing it down at the two men squirming in the dust.

He flicked a switch and the noise stopped. Rose could still feel the ringing in her ears.

Putting it away and walking over to the men the Doctor confidently smiled at Rose. "Retuned the sonic to 300 decibels, shocked the connection between these two and whoever is controlling them," he said moving one of the men so he was lying more comfortably. "Ddddddid you kill them?" stuttered the old man, stepping out of the company of shocked people.

"NO! Of course not! What do you think I am some kind of animal? No, just knocked them unconscious, they should be up on their feet in a matter of minutes, which reminds me, you lot should really be getting out of here," said the Doctor to the staring crowd, who muttered in agreement, thanking the Doctor for saving them from something they knew not what as they turned hurriedly away, heading back towards the van where they had just come from.

"Aren't you coming?" called the old man back to Rose and the Doctor when he saw they weren't moving. The Doctor shook his head, indicating towards the warehouse, "No, we've got some work to do here still, but thanks for the offer," he said moving forwards towards the front of the building. "Right Rose Tyler, where do you suppose we start looking for a way in?"

"How about that door?" Rose said pointing to a blatantly obvious steel door straight ahead of them. "Good idea!" the Doctor said with a grin, running off towards it, leaving Rose with a bemused smile on her face, for a guy with a brain the size of Belgium, he could be infinitely dumb sometimes.

A/N: Sorry there hasn't been an update in ages, I will try to update more frequently in future, I promise! Just wanted to say some thing I realized whilst writing this, that Rose is a very good character to voice as I am sure many of you do, I relate with her, yeah I have really enjoyed writing Rose and of course the Doctor is fun as well. Tell me what you think about that last chapter and I hope you keep reading, thanks!

~DreamingAboutDaDoctor


	8. Ice Cold

Rose followed the Doctor into the steel building; he locked the door behind them and looked about. The air was dense and icy cold as it bit against their skin, there were cold steel walls, floors and ceilings. All around them seemed to be made of metal, a metal jungle of snaking wires and pipes with numerous contraptions dotted around which Rose failed to see the point in. The Doctor stepped forward in awe, running his hands down a metal cylinder next to him, his awestruck eyes gazing about him. Suddenly, his gaze caught on something new, something different. Running over to it, he pulled out his brainy specks and squatted down closer to the object. "A bestianus modulator," he said tapping against a metal panel fastened to the floor, "mixes animal DNA with human." He looked closer, something was definitely wrong here he thought to himself.

"No not good," he said running his hands through his hair and straightening up. Rose looked at him with a puzzled expression. He turned to look at her; she immediately felt a lecture coming on.

"You see Rose; humans have branched out all over the empire, through out the galaxy, spreading far and wide, but there are some places they haven't yet reached. And if my knowledge is right, which it always is, I have a strange feeling that the place where this bestianus modulator was invented is one of the four corners of the galaxy not yet reached by humans, or many other aliens at that matter," he said trailing off.

"So what's it doing here?" asked Rose, a shocked look on her face.

"That's what we need to find out," said the Doctor, dashing off, Rose following in hot pursuit.

They ran out of the electrical room and into a corridor, running along, pulling open doors and quickly shutting them again when they found out they were yet again full of electrical equipment, the Doctor and Rose made their way down the corridor. Rose came to one door, which she thought at first was just jammed, which she couldn't open. The Doctor was ahead of her, running too and fro, she called to him, indicating to the door. "This one won't open," she said jostling with the handle. The Doctor scooted over, "Let me take a look," he said, pointing the sonic towards the keyhole, with a click, the door swung open. "And we're in," he said, grinning at Rose. She looked on warily into the pitch black opening of the doorway. "They could do with a few light bulbs in there," she said, looking in, "Hey, weren't all the other rooms brightly lit when we walked in, this one isn't," the Doctor nodded, "Why not I wonder?" he said, clicking the light switch on the wall.

"Maybe that's why not," he said, as the bright bulbs shone down onto rows and rows of people, blank glazed eyes bore into the Doctor and Rose. A gasp left Rose's throat.

A/N: Sorry, been really busy lately, GCSEs and so on. Hope that was okay, please review!

DreamingAboutDaDoctor


	9. A Promise

"People," breathed Rose, the sight shook her, reaching deep down into the depths of her emotions. The Doctor stepped into the room, Rose followed, gulping at the sight of the room around her. It was bigger than Rose had first thought; the lines of frozen people ran on for miles, stretching out across the vast floor. "There are so many," said Rose, her voice breaking.

The Doctor walked up to the closest person. The young woman stared impassively ahead, her eyes giving away nothing, not looking, not thinking, not feeling. The Doctor waved a hand in front of her face, nothing happened. Out came the sonic. He buzzed it in front of her face, running it up and down through the air. Shocked, he stepped backwards, backing away from the woman. "Her mind, it's gone,"

"Gone? What do you mean gone?"

"There's nothing, no brainwaves, nothing. Just an empty shell, that's what these people are, empty shells," the Doctor said looking about him, his eyes surveying the rows of lifeless people.

"Does that mean they're dead?" asked Rose, her heart pounding at the sight and thought of these people, people without anything inside them. Their stares seemed to linger on her, the ghostly silence chilling her to the bone.

"They can't be dead, they can't be," she said, not wanting to believe they were just corpses.

"Without whatever they're missing they're technically dead," said the Doctor his face hard and gaunt, eyes burning furnaces.

"We were too late," said Rose, tears welling in her eyes. The Doctor turned, a shocked expression on his face at her tears.

"It's never too late Rose. You trust me don't you?" asked The Doctor.

Rose nodded.

"I promise you I will save these people, I will restore them, give them back their souls,"

He clasped Rose's shoulders, turning her to him.

"I promise,"

Their eyes locked. Broken promises, Rose had had so many, from ex-boyfriends, friends and even family. The scars running deep in her, scars that could never be healed. But he was different. Different from the rest. The Doctor, her heart sang whenever she thought of him, he would never lie or break a promise, she was sure. And it was there, in that icy store room, surrounded by rows of lifeless humans, on the far off planet of Retwa, where Rose decided she was never going to leave him.

A/N: I really do hope that was alright, I'm not too sure. Tell me what you think though, oh and thanks for reading 


	10. Not A Very Nice Welcome To Totanas Inc

Rose tucked herself tightly into his arms, her head rested against his chest as the Doctor stood there holding her in his grasp. He thought about rubbing her back but then decided against it, it was too, well, intimate. Rose listened to the thud of his two twin beating hearts, wondering how anything could be better this, being held by the Doctor. She knew there could be, but this was all she could hope for, he didn't think of her in that way. She would never be good enough for him, and that pained her. With a sigh she moved closer to him, if this was as good as it was going to get she sure wasn't going to waste it.

Their hug was interrupted by a sudden voice behind them. Rose shuffled out of the Doctor's arms, as they turned to find a flustered woman in a suit standing behind them. It was the woman from the quiz, Rose had forgotten about her.

"Who are you? You're not meant to be in here, how did you get in?" she asked in a bewildered tone, looking the Doctor up and down.

"Doesn't matter," he replied, his annoyance and anger evident, he in turn looked the woman up and down, his eyes shooting daggers.

"But what does matter is what's going on here," he said, striding forward, the scared woman backing against the wall.

"Because if you don't tell me what's going on I swear I'll have to make you," he said frothing with anger.

"I...I...I..." stuttered the woman, looking dazed, shifting her glance between Rose and the Doctor, her eyes calling out for help. The poor thing thought Rose. She walked forward and placed a hand on the Doctor's shoulder, Rose felt him ease up, the anger diminishing but not yet gone.

"Are you in charge here?" he inquired in a rough tone, eyebrow arched. The woman shook her head hurriedly.

"Nnnooo sir, he is," she said pointing to a painting nailed to the back of the door, which Rose and the Doctor hadn't seen at first. The frame was golden and sparkling, the painting was of somebody Rose couldn't possibly describe of as a he, but as an it.

A smirking blue face grinned back at them from inside the frame. The alien was fat and slimy looking, tentacles seemed to be coming out everywhere, its face was pot-holed and hideous and its top half was wearing a waist coat. Rose, just from looking at the painting, thought she knew what he was going to be like, pompous and undermining.

"I see," said the Doctor, reading the plaque underneath it, "Tota Magasumu, Head of Totanas incorporated, right," he said nodding, and moving away from the woman.

She straightened up "I'm very sorry, sir, madam, but I'm afraid I've got to take you to him, nobody is meant to be in here, not even me," she declared, somewhat unsurely, looking at them, beseeching them to follow her. "Good, I want to see him anyway," the Doctor said striding off into the corridor, his head held high.

"Urm, sir, it's this way," said the woman timidly, the Doctor glared at her, turning back and striding off in the right direction. With a shy smile at Rose the woman and Rose followed the Doctor out into the corridor.

They walked along in silence for a while until Rose started to talk. "What's your name?" she asked

"Faye, Faye Bolton, and you?"

"Rose," she said simply. Rose decided she couldn't wait any longer, "Look here Faye," she said stopping in her tracks, making Faye stop also, "how can you work here, when you know what's going on in those rooms, what that Tota guy is doing to the people? How can you let yourself be involved in this?"

To Rose's shock, Faye laughed. "It's not as bad as it seems. Those people are only in a trance, they get sent home and everything is fine, their just sleeping," she said shaking her head with a look on her face that looked like she was pitying Rose.

"Hold on there Faye," said Rose, "that's not what the Doctor said, wait a second," Rose turned and called out to the Doctor.

"Doctor!" she shouted, he turned around from where he was metres up the corridor; she beckoned to him to come over.

"Faye here, says that those people are just in a trance and that they're fine,"

The Doctor had his 'what' expression on his face, "What! Who told you that?"

"Well, urm, Tota of course,"

"And you believed him?" patronised the Doctor.

"Well, I didn't know what to believe," stuttered Faye.

The Doctor shook his head, "Believe anything you lot,"

Rose rolled her eyes. The Doctor moved closer to Faye, his face inches from hers. "Listen to me Faye. I'm not going to lie to you. Those people have had their essence taken away from them. I scanned, and there was nothing. They aren't in a trance; they aren't going to wake up unless Rose and I find what ever they've taken from them, do you understand me Faye?" he waited for an answer.

"I think you two better come with me, I'm not going to listen to this nonsense," she said, looking slightly angry now.

"Well I did try," huffed the Doctor as he and Rose started to walk along the corridor with Faye following behind them. Faye's mind was doing summersaults as she began to wonder if in fact they were telling the truth and Totanas incorporated was just a lie.

Her mind began to wander.


	11. Meeting Tota

"Here we are," said Faye indicating to a door in front of her. The Doctor gave her a look. If looks could kill, Faye would be stone dead. Pushing open the door, the Doctor and Rose walked into the room. Like most of the other rooms, cables were snaking everywhere, buzzing machines drumming away in every corner.

"What? There's nothing in here…" said the Doctor, his voice trailing off as he saw what the cables were connected to, or rather, who they were connected to.

Rose peeked round the corner, "Tota Magasumu," said the Doctor in disgust, "Head of Totanas incorporated."

From the door, Faye watched the strangers as they walked round the corner. They would now be face to face with Tota, what if he wasn't as kind and genuine as she had first perceived? What would he do to them? Faye shuddered at the thought of him hurting them, she had always thought of Tota as a peaceful alien, but somehow, it wasn't too hard to imagine him being a killer.

Faye's inner thoughts shocked her. She felt like she was betraying her boss. "Now stop this," she told herself, who was she going to trust, her boss whom she had been working for for a while now or two complete strangers who had just come out of the blue?

Faye had always been told to listen to her head, and be logical, but her heart beating rapidly in her chest was telling her to listen to it. Faye closed the door behind the two travellers and darted back down the hall.

"Hello there! My uninvited guests, welcome!" grinned Tota from where he was wired up, in front of a red curtain which made him look like royalty, his tentacles withered around him as he waved to the Doctor and Rose. "Argh!" exclaimed Rose in repulsion. He was even more horrible than in his picture. Tota threw back his head in laughter; his croaky chuckle gave the room an eerily sinister feeling, Rose didn't like it.

The Doctor squinted at Tota, sussing him out, this forced Tota to stop laughing. His neck shrunk down back into his chest as he eyed the Doctor's calculating stare.

"You're not from around here,"

"No, and I could say the same for you couldn't I Doctor?"

Rose looked at Tota with a startled expression, "How'd you know his name?"

"I have all the CCTV cameras in this warehouse wired into me; I've been watching your little episode with Faye. What a trusting worker she is," his eyes rolled backwards in his head as he let out another bloodcurdling chuckle. This chuckle was cut short, as he let out a cry, looking down, he found the Doctor on the floor with one of the wire pipes in his hands. He tugged.

"Ow! Don't do that!" exclaimed Tota, trying to whack the Doctor away with his tentacle, which fortunately for the Doctor wasn't long enough to reach him.

"Its not just CCTV cameras wired up to you. This one has liquid in it, a genetic formula of some kind," said the Doctor, getting the sonic and buzzing the pipe. All that could be heard was the buzz of the sonic. Rose and Tota watched silently. When the buzz finally stopped, the Doctor's face was different, harder, he looked up, his jaw was clenched. "As I suspected," he said, getting up.

"Human genetic information,"

"From those people?" asked Rose, the Doctor nodded.

"But not genetic material that I've ever seen before, it's been channelled through something, made stronger, the molecules enlarged," said the Doctor cocking his head, looking at Tota who was now sitting up stiffly.

"It makes me stronger," said Tota looking from Rose to the Doctor

"Because you're weak from the trip,"

Tota looked directly at the Doctor, "It was a long trip, trying to get here, but I managed it,"

The Doctor shook his head, "Why earth? Why this planet, why did you need to come here?"

"For the people," said Tota plainly.

"I see," said the Doctor, "you need humans because there not exactly the brightest bunch,"

"No offense," said the Doctor looking at Rose.

"None taken," said Rose, her attention all now focused on Tota.

"I could do it and not get caught, it was so easy. They would walk into the quiz rooms and all I had to do was get some of my workers to push them into a van. They just walked into the trap, blind, that's what you pathetic humans are, blind!" exclaimed Tota looking Rose up and down as if she was a piece of dirt. Rose was about to say an offensive comment but the Doctor got in first. "Blind? No, they are so much the opposite. Humans, they make sense, they take their little worlds and they make sense of them. They love, and they hurt and they trust," said the Doctor softly, looking at Rose out of the corner of his eye, "and that's what makes them so brilliant, and I will not have you exploiting them," said the Doctor, his previous tone gone, anger was taking over him once again, the rage of a Timelord, there is no rage like it.

He ran forward. Tugging at the curtain behind Tota. It ripped and fell. "No!" shouted Tota as the curtain fell away, revealing to the Doctor what was behind the curtain.

"He bottles their souls," said the Doctor, seething.

A/N: I am very sorry there hasn't been an update in a while. Please tell me what you think guys 

I hope you are having a nice weekend! Well, it may not be the weekend when you are reading this, but if it is I hope it's a good one!

~DreamingAboutDaDoctor


	12. Shelves And Shelves Of Bottles

Shelves and shelves of bottles, stretching up high up into the ceiling, an overwhelming bookcase of labelled glass bottles stood facing the Doctor and Rose.

The Doctor ran forward, carefully pulling out a bottle from the shelve.

"Don't- do- anything!" retorted Tota, positively frothing at the mouth, and squirming in his seat.

"I'll do anything I please!" shouted the Doctor, holding the glass up in front of his eyes, looking from the bottle to Tota and back again. A sinister smile crept across the Doctor's face as Tota watched the Doctor anxiously, his tentacles tensed and his mouth hissing. The Doctor held out the bottle at arms length, balancing it between two of his nimble fingers. By the time Tota realised what he was going to do it was too late, Tota gave out a high pitched screech as the Doctor dropped the bottle. With a smash the bottle fell to the floor, the pieces of shattered glass splintering out across the warehouse floor, the liquid, which had been inside the bottle, seeping out, hissing as the liquid touched the icy ground.

Rose gasped stepping back, avoiding the liquid. The Doctor looked up coolly from the mess he had made. Cocking his head as Tota continued to scream and curse.

"Doctor," Tota moaned breathlessly "do you know how much one of them is worth?"

"Ahhhh," said the Doctor, smiling as he now that he had been successful in what was a very risky move, he know knew what Tota's game was.

"Business," said the Doctor, "you're selling people's souls for business."

Tota nodded.

"Its what rich people want these days. Always looking for different ways to succeed, the need to be the best, the most powerful, the..."

The Doctor interrupted, "The cleverest."

Tota smiled and nodded. Rose looked at him hatefully, "You mean people actually want to buy other people's souls. That's sick!" she said shaking her head, her blonde hair moving about her.

The Doctor shook his head, and turned to address Tota, "You don't tell them do you? You didn't tell Faye and you don't tell your buyers. Why don't you tell them, hmm? I think it's because you know its wrong," the Doctor said, taking a few steps forward, so that his face was now inches away from Tota's. Rose moved a little closer protectively, Tota was easily close enough to hurt the Doctor and she didn't like it, her nervous heart ached as she imagined what could happen if he wasn't too careful.

"The liquid in those bottles, manipulated human genetic material, you take the best bits of people and you process them, millions of litres of personality taken away, labelled and sold. You haven't yet got the technology to be able to take their cleverness out without taking it all and you don't care,"

Tota laughed hoarsely, "No, why would I care? Humans are disposable. Especially the working class ones, all they are good for is business. The rich ones come to my works asking to be revived, enhanced, and that's what I do for them, I go searching for the cleverest humans, they take the quiz, and I take their souls. A fair deal really," he laughed. The Doctor moved back so that Tota's spit didn't end up on him. He watched as Rose walked over to the shelves and removed a bottle. The label read, "Annabelle Townsend 98%" Rose quickly put it back. "There's a person in there, well, not a person, but part of one," she said shaking her head, unable to comprehend what she had just been holding.

"And it's all for business," the Doctor snarled glaring at Tota.

Rose walked over to the Doctor; curiosity had got the better of her. "But, how?"

"How what?"

"How do you, you know, get it out?" she whispered, disgusted with herself for asking.

It wasn't the Doctor that answered her question. It was Tota.

"I'm glad you asked that Miss Tyler," chuckled Tota, "because…" the two strong men who had captured the Doctor and Rose earlier stepped out from behind a machine, "you're about to find out!"

Rose screamed as the two men grabbed hold of her and the Doctor, wrapping their, muscled arms around her neck, cutting off her air supply, as the Doctor and she were both dragged towards a chair with an electric head cap attached, that was buzzing expectantly in a corner. Tota laughed and Rose screamed as the chair was switched on, ready to suck out their souls.

A/N: Okay, so I hope you all understood that chapter, I think that's most of the technical stuff out of the way, do tell me though if you didn't get it and I will try to make it make sense in the next chapter. Thanks for reviewing and adding me to author faves and everything! I love hearing from you guys! XD


	13. Run!

Rose felt herself being yanked backwards by the sheer force of two strong men, she tried to wriggle away from their grasps but she was almost half their size and it was useless. The Doctor was no better, he might have been able to fight aliens off with his mouth but when it came the physical stuff, well, he wasn't exactly the strongest guy Rose had ever met.

This situation worried Rose, worried her more than any other usual adventure with the Doctor. The fact was, she couldn't see a way out of it, they were never going to get away from the two strong men, it was impossible, she could see the Doctor trying but he wasn't having much luck. She knew something like this would happen in the end, yet she still came, even though so many people had warned her, Jackie, Mickey, and Sarah Jane. "Why?" she asked herself, why risk her life like that? Rose already knew the answer. It was for him. She tried calling his name but she didn't think he heard, if he did, he didn't answer back.

"Help me Doctor," she kept saying over and over in her head, hoping he would hear. "Think of something," she prayed as the hefty men continued to drag her ever closer to the chair.

Rose had never believed in God, or miracles. She wasn't one of those praying and godly types, but she prayed now. She may not have believed in God, but she believed in him and miracles do happen if you believe.

The man's grasp about her neck started to loosen and she pulled herself away from him. It took her moments to realise why he had pulled away and fallen to the floor. A dull buzzing rang out from the little device the Doctor was holding, causing the two men to wither in pain and Tota to scream.

"RUN!"

And she ran, not looking back, she just assumed the Doctor was behind her, he wasn't. It wasn't until she got close to the door when she realized the buzzing had stopped.

Turning, she saw one of the men knock the sonic screwdriver out of the Doctor's hands, sliding across the floor, ending up under a machine. The Doctor scrambled trying to reach it, but it was too late. The two men pulled him backwards, into the chair.

"Doctor!" shouted Rose, instinctively running forward to help him.

He looked up from the chair. His eyes big and pleading, "Rose, get out of here," he ordered.

"No, I can't just leave you," she started forward, but one of the men had broken away and was walking towards her, his eyes glowing ochre, gun out and at the ready.

"RUN!" screamed the Doctor from the chair, moving forward in his chains, his hands clasped in tight fists of anger, despairingly watching as the man moved closer and closer to his beloved Rose.

A/N: Another cliff hanger sorry! I hope you liked that! :)


	14. Screams

Rose, in response to the gun being pointed at her head, started to back away, gingerly stepping backwards as the man and his gun continued on their quest for her blood. She could feel her blood, feel it pumping fluidly around her body, veins thick with it, suddenly rushing to her brain. Her pulse start thumping, hurting her head, that's all she could hear, her pulse. It beat so heavily that everything else was drowned out. It was just her, she couldn't feel herself there anymore, it was like she had been transported somewhere else. The background noise faded away and that was all that there was, a pounding, steadily thumping rhythm. Du- du -du -du-… du-du-du-du-… du-du-du-du-… She was neither gone nor quite there. Life flashed before her eyes as she was suddenly forced into the present, reality slamming down on her fast as she heard a trigger pull and felt herself being pulled backwards, her head hitting the cold metal floor of the corridor. All went dark.

"Rose, Rose!" she heard an urgent voice calling her. A shot, that was what she had heard, a gunshot. "Is this heaven then?" Rose thought to herself as her vision started to clear, maybe she had been wrong about all that God stuff, maybe he was real. "I didn't believe, does this mean I'm in hell?" she said louder in her head, loud enough it appeared the other person had heard it also, "Hell? What are you on about? Get up quick!"

They sounded scared, their voice was urgent; Rose could feel a tugging at her t-shirt. Groggily, she looked around her for the first time. She was on the floor of a corridor. Sitting up she squinted to see a person standing above her. "I know you," she said, not quite with it in a sleepy tone. Faye looked down at her shaking her head, her eyes wide and sad. "What's wrong?" asked Rose, not remembering what had happened a few moments before.

"I'm so sorry Rose. I could only get you out in time; oh thank goodness Tota didn't see me, but not him…" Rose interrupted her, "Out in time? Not him? Who's him?" Rose asked confused. Faye looked down at her, locking eyes with Rose. With a jolt, her memory came back to her. Rose let out a gasp, the chair, the chair, he was in the chair! She shot up, her dizziness that had been evident moments before, now completely gone.

Rose pushed her self up against the glass of the window; she could see him, strapped into the chair in the corner. "Oh my God!" she screamed over and over, administrating fighting blows to the glass, she screamed his name over and over again, willing the power of her words to do something, save him, but they were useless pleas with no earthly power behind them. She knew he could hear her, but it hurt for him to look. He couldn't bear to see her face, tear stricken and bloody from where she had hit the floor.

Rose banged her fists against the glass in desperation. She knew it was no use; the glass was never going to break. She tried for the door, but it was locked from the inside, she jostled the handle with all her might but it would not budge. "This all your fault!" she screamed at Faye who was now cowering from Rose who's anger scared her. "You saved me; you pulled me out of there! You made me leave him!" she shouted, angry tears running down her face. She brushed them away, but they were only to be replaced by new ones. Rose started to sob, all the fight in her was gone, and all she could do was weep. She had let him down, and she would never be able to forgive herself for leaving him in that room for the rest of her life.

Hand pressed up against the glass, Rose looked on as the cap was fixed onto his head, she couldn't watch this, she wasn't strong enough, Rose started to turn away, but that was when he looked up.

This was the end. Shame, he thought his death would have been a bit more prolific than tied up in a chair by a pompous blue alien and his two henchmen. He was powerless, powerless to save his own life but that didn't really matter to him, as long as Rose was safe. She could fly the TARDIS, she was a clever girl, she would go home, find her mum and Mickey, and live her life, she would be okay, he told himself. Or would she? He couldn't bear to think that she wouldn't be okay but maybe she wouldn't, when his people died, he didn't want to carry on living, Rose was stronger than that, he hoped.

"Look at her you fool," he told himself as a hot tear ran down his face, if this was going to be the end he wanted the last thing he saw to be the woman he loved. Plucking up the courage the Doctor lifted his head, catching her eye from being the glass. She saw him looking and pressed herself up against the glass, he could see the condensation from her breath steaming up the window, he could also see her tears, how he wished he could be there with her to wipe them away. She wouldn't be crying though if it wasn't for him, and he hated himself for getting them into this mess. It was his fault. With a sigh he closed his eyes and the feeling of almost dying wash over him. He tried to steady his breathing but failed. On the surface, to Tota, Faye and Rose, he looked composed, but they were too far away to see his tears. Deep down he was scared, he never stopped being scared.

"Doctor, your time has come, you'll be the newest bottle in my collection, the cleverest being in the universe, so I've heard, and now… I'm going to destroy you and put you in a labelled bottle!" Tota's croaky laugh rang out. The Doctor snapped his eyes open, looking at Tota. "And, on the side…" he said in a clear, soft voice, "will be written the words, 'For The Humans' because they are the most important creatures, the cleverest creatures in the universe, not me," he said, turning to look at Rose, staring intently at her, "and they are wonderful, and true and kind," his stony maroon eyes bore into her, "and they know just what to do in a crisis." He had finished his speech but his eye's never left Rose's and hers never left his. Tota laughed in his seat, "If you think you're trying to get a message across to your little friend over there, it's not going to work, she's helpless and so are you, she can't help you now," he chuckled, turning to a switchboard behind him, reaching a long tentacle up to the switch, he flicked his head back to the Doctor, "Prepare to die Doctor!" he roared. He clicked the switch.

"What is he trying to tell me?" Rose asked herself, "what am I meant to do?", like Tota said, she was helpless, trapped outside of the room, with no way in. He was still looking at her when the switch clicked. There was a flash of light that filled the room and sparks started flying out of the cables attached to the chair, she could almost see the electrical current snaking its way along the cable, making its way towards the Doctor. She crossed her fingers over her heart, "Please, please, please," she kept saying over and over, her eyes shut tight. That was when she heard the screaming.

The Doctor leant forward in his chair, his eyes open in a shocked and pained expression, his eyes were wide and burning, his mouth was open, and a blood-curdling scream was leaving it. The first long scream ended, followed by a series of others which were equally as heart breaking for Rose, she turned her back on the window and put her hands over her ears and over her eyes. She didn't want to see she didn't want to hear. She would have done anything to have stopped that moment from happening, in all her life she had never wanted anything more than for the Doctor to stop screaming and for the pain to be gone from his body. The screams from the torture chamber were loud in her head, Rose felt a burning sensation in the back of her neck and she was sick on the corridor floor. She bent down wrenching, and didn't get up again. She curled herself up into a ball, hugging herself tightly. And that's how she lay for the next few minutes, the worst in her life, while she listened to the Doctor scream.


	15. Or is he?

She didn't know when it ended, it felt like hours but it must have been mere minutes, it was like Rose had shut herself off from the outer world, she was unaware of her surroundings, she didn't think or feel, she just lay.

A while later, Rose started to become aware, the numbness was subsiding, she could now feel the metal beneath her and the air around her. Her body had sensed it was over, but her mind needed confirmation. She felt a tapping on her shoulder, "Its over," whispered Faye in her ear.

Rose sat staring, her head in her hands. She was with Faye in the room full of people. They had to run; the men had been looking for them. She hadn't even got to see him. Rose didn't know if this was a good thing or not.

Faye said they were safe now, the men had been called back; Tota had decided he didn't need Rose; he'd got what he wanted. Bitterly Rose took in this information; he'd got what he'd wanted, he had the Doctor.

Rose and Faye hadn't spoken in a while. Rose's pain and Faye's guilt as to what happened had driven them into separate places in their heads, the kept themselves to themselves, until Rose's mind wandered and started to look properly at the statues in front of her.

"Is he like them now?" Rose asked not bearing to look at Faye.

"Yes," said Faye simply.

Rose shook her head, a tear falling from her eye to the icy floor.

"No, don't cry," beseeched Faye, sitting down next to Rose, rubbing her back.

"It wasn't your fault, it was mine," said Faye, Rose laughed.

"Yeah, no, I'm not letting you off Faye, it was partly your fault, but you did save my life back there so I guess I owe you one," said Rose, looking at Faye properly, in the face, for the first time. She was young but old at the same time. Her face was haggard and tired, how long was it since she had a proper night's sleep thought Rose.

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry for what happened to your friend…" Faye said, pausing,

"urmm are you two, where you two urnm…" she said with a wave of her hand, trailing off.

"Together?" snorted Rose with a laugh, the laugh slipping away and her face falling.

"I wish, I really wish it was like that," Rose said, her mind far away, reminiscing.

"Maybe it was,"

"What do you mean?" inquired Rose curiously.

"I've seen the way he looks at you," Faye said, "at the quiz; he was watching you while you wrote. He looked at you with pride and happiness and I'm sure of it, yes, his eyes were full of love,"

Rose let this sink in, "Love?"

"Yes, I'm sure, take it from me Rose, a man's face can tell a lot more than anything he says, your lucky, so lucky,"

Rose smiled, smiled a sad little smile. Yes, she had been lucky, lucky she had ever met that amazing man.

"He's gone," said Rose, "it's all over now,"

Seconds past, Rose had forgotten that she had ever said something by the time Faye spoke.

"Or is he?" said Faye her eyes staring ahead, like in a trance.

"Hmm?" asked Rose, fiddling with her hair.

"What you said,"

"What I said?" Rose furrowed her brow.

Faye nodded.

"What did I say?"

"You said he's gone,"

Realisation overwhelmed Rose.

"And you said or is he," both of them standing up now, facing each other.

"I think I might have something that may work," said Faye.

Her words made Rose tremble with promise. She crossed her fingers, and waited expectantly for what may be the Doctors salvation.


	16. Ducking Down And Going In

Ducking down, Faye and Rose hid behind the door that just an hour ago, Rose had been pounding at with all her might. To Rose's surprise on studying the door again, there was a small bullet hole on the bottom half of the door. Rose had wondered where that bullet had gone.

They were just outside the room, it was still occupied with Tota and the Doctor, Faye said, as she jumped up again to look through the porthole of the door. The two other men had gone, they were nowhere in sight, Rose didn't know where they were and didn't want to know.

"Are you sure this'll work?" asked Rose as Faye slid down into a crouching position next to her.

"Nope," Faye said bluntly, "but it's the best we've got,"

Rose nodded in agreement.

"Are you still sure you want to go in with me, I can do it on my own you know," said Faye.

"Of course I am!" exclaimed Rose indignantly, "I'm not going to leave him and let you do it!"

"Yeah, I know calm down," said Faye, looking away.

It's risky, very risky; I don't know what to do for the best. Look at her, she wants to help, but I'm scared. He'll have her killed right away. Do I risk it? Risk Rose? Can I lock her out, could I do that to her? Let me see again.

Faye shot up from the floor, looking through the porthole once again.

Yes, I can see him. He looks angry; the fire which was once in the Doctors eyes is now in his. And look at the Doctor, a broken man, standing there staring. An empty shell, nothing left but an empty shell. I can't let her see him like this. I just can't.

"Is everything okay?" asked Rose looking up at Faye who was undecidedly jumpy at the moment.

"Hmm!" nodded Faye looking about her.

Rose shrugged, getting up now herself.

"Is it safe to look? I mean is he, I mean does he still look like himself?" asked Rose hesitantly.

"Oh he looks like himself alright," thought Faye to herself, but he wasn't himself, with his personality gone he was nothing. Nothing, just like all those other people, people she had just stood by and watched be destroyed. "You fool Faye," she silently cursed, "you bloody fool!"

Faye didn't voice her thoughts, instead she said, "I better go in first, you follow on later when you feel the time is right," with no intention of letting Rose follow on later.

Rose nodded, determinedly pacing, waiting for Faye to open the door.

Faye slid her key into the holder.

Rose heard Faye turn the handle, and looked up. Her eyes wide with many emotions, she didn't really know what she was feeling right then, all she knew was that she wanted him back.

Faye grasped hold of the handle, took one look back at Rose and strode into the room.

Just as she was about to close the door, she pulled out the key and placed it in her jacket pocket.

To Rose's dismay, she then pushed the door shut.

"Hey! Hey what are you doing!" screamed Rose, running and trying to open the door. It was useless; Faye had locked it from the inside. "Urgh!" yelled Rose bashing herself up against the wall in sheer desperation but it was no use, the situation was out of her control. Looking up, Rose saw Faye through the porthole. To Rose's surprise she was stood facing the door, looking through the clear glass at Rose.

"I'm sorry," she mouthed to the bewildered Rose.

A/N: Cliff-hanger sorry, I'm addicted! Big call out to Time Lady 802379! Hey! Just wanted to say hi! Read Potassium Overload guys! It's very good! Anyhoooo hope you enjoyed that and please keep reading pleaseeeeeeeeee!


	17. Her Boss

Faye turned, leaving Rose standing, still staring through the glass at her. Adjusting her skirt and fixing a false grin on her face she confidently strode forward.

Tota shuffled in his seat, only then becoming aware that she was in the room. "How long has she been there?" he thought to himself, he sighed, his senses weren't all that they used to be, he was old, old and tired, but there was still hope. This man, this Doctor, he wasn't human, he looked like them but he wasn't one of them, Tota couldn't quite place it, but there was something that made him different. His eyes seemed to lock in the mysteries of centuries, captivating and hypnotic, his eyes told a story, a story too ancient to be told by a man who looked only as if he were in his late 30's. Was it possible? Now that he had his mind, brain, and most importantly his soul, could he use it on himself? Would it be strong enough to restore him? "Tota Magasumu reborn," Tota smiled to himself. He could live forever, become a story, become somebody, the great Tota, magnificent and immortal.

A slight cough brought Tota out of his day dream. "What?" he snapped at Faye. She shifted uncomfortably, clutching a clipboard to her chest. Her eyes hesitantly darted to the Doctor. Tota followed her gaze, waiting for her reaction. Would she remain faithful as any good worker should? "He is a very clever man; you will be able to get a lot out of him. Has it been taken already?" Faye inquired, walking up to the Doctor and looking up into his stony eyes, making a couple of ticks on her clipboard. Tota nodded, "It has been done," he said simply. Faye turned back to him, "The other intruder has been located," Faye said.

"I should hope so too," said Tota.

"She has been taken away, off the premises, the doors have all been triple dead lock sealed, there will be no more intruders today Sir," Faye said curtly.

Tota nodded. Whever it was her apparent innocence or his previous trust in her, Tota decided to trust Faye, a big mistake on his part.

Faye's chest beat heavily, but she tried to remain strong and businesslike, however as she looked into Tota's eyes, a pang of fear hit her, "He knows, what if he knows?" she thought, beads of sweat perspiring from her forehead, despite the cool air surrounding her, she was sweating.

Silently, Tota raised his chin, slowly turning his head to the Doctor. Reaching out a tentacle, he ran his slivery limb under the Doctor's jaw and along his jaw line. Faye shot a glance at the door, gulping at the sight of Rose silently seething from behind the barrier.

His blue tentacle, reaching up to the Doctor's hair, played lovingly with his brown spikes as if he were a pet, leaving a trail of what looked like slug slime all over the Doctor's motionless face.

Faye watched, disgusted, as Tota removed his tentacle, he looked round at her, she gave a shy smile, inwardly detesting the creature before her, once again regretting the years she had spent under his wing.

"His sample is over on that counter," Tota indicated, "label and store it in a safe place," Faye nodded and briskly walked over to it, "Yes Sir," she said, carefully picking up the cylinder tube.

Slowly, she turned her head, and checking that he wasn't looking, she ducked down, retrieving something that was very important if she wanted to come out alive.

A/N: Short again- very sorry! Hope that was okay for you all! Thank you so much for reviewing pllleeese keep reading guys!!! This story actually has a plot!


	18. The Fire Extinguisher

"Don't touch him!" shouted Rose from behind the glass, clutching her fists and gritting her teeth, she banged the door in vain, thumping herself against the door. She continued pounding even though she knew nobody could hear her.

The Doctor stood unmoving just metres from Faye, Rose could see him, just standing there. He wasn't the Doctor anymore, he just looked like him. The part of him that she loved was gone, and it was killing Rose inside, seeing him like that, just like all the others, he was now part of a crowd, nothing made him different or special anymore.

Rose hoped. Hoped that he would come back, hoped what Faye had said was true; all she could do was hope. She felt an empty space inside. A feeling not unlike the feeling that she often felt when she thought of her dad, like something was missing, a gap.

Footsteps started to echo down the long silent corridor. In a flustered panic, Rose hid herself behind a jutting out pillar attached to the wall. Her heart jumped to her throat as she noiselessly waited. The footsteps grew louder. Closer. "What to do, what to do?" worried Rose, looking around her, she located a fire extinguisher. Picking it up she awkwardly positioned it in front of her, looping her finger into the ring pull. Rose had never used a fire extinguisher before, she was surprised they still had them in the 51st century, evidently they still had fires. Rose chuckled to herself, little things like this continued to surprise her, there were always things like this that amazed her when she travelled with the Doctor. The Doctor, her heart wrenched in her chest, poor, poor Doctor. It was all her fault she thought to herself with a sigh. Straightening herself up, Rose clutched the fire extinguisher in front of her as the footsteps neared.

They were close, whoever they were, Rose could hear two sets of breathing. Biting her lip, Rose risked looking round the pillar. It was the two men, still searching for her. She shot her head back round, pushing herself up closer against the wall. She heard a crunch of moving plastic and their breathing deepened and became louder. Rose watched, her eyes wide with fear as the two men walked past her, if they turned she was in plain view, but it was too risky to move, Rose just had to be silent. She closed her eyes and her nervous fingers clasped harder around the ring pull, too hard. A jet of foam blasted out of the end of the extinguisher, Rose gasped in horror, opening her eyes and looking down at the pool of foam that had dripped to the floor. Looking up slowly, she watched in sheer horror as the two men swivelled on their heels to look at her. Cocking their heads their glowing eyes illuminated the dull hallway, chilling Rose to the bone, even though she was still snug inside the Doctor's coat. She stared at them in dismay for a moment or so. Then, suddenly, she ran forward, screaming as she forced the extinguisher out in front of her, pulling hard on the ring loop, sending jets of soapy foam out into their eyes, making them screech and retreat, impairing their vision for the time being.

Rose watched panic stricken as the men started to get themselves together, rubbing their eyes and blinking around them. Rose needed Faye, she was her only chance. Rose ran, jabbing the butt of the extinguisher hard against the porthole. The noise was loud and the crash was heard by Faye who shot her head round to look at Rose. Rose's eyes bulged with fear as she motioned from herself to the two men behind her, who were approaching fast.

"This was it, the moment is now!" Faye thought to herself, quickly turning to Tota and thrusting the sonic screwdriver out in front of her. Tota's eyes shot down to the little object in her hand. "WHAT are you doing?" demanded Tota.

"Something I should have done a long time ago," Faye said, a little smile playing about her face as she cheekily finished with, "Sir," before she clicked the button.

The sonic buzzed. "NOOOOOOOO!" screeched Tota, reeling horribly, lashing out at Faye with his undulating tentacles. The sonic's buzz penetrated deep into his brain, leaving him spooling with the pain off it.

Behind the door, the two men had fallen to the ground, feeling the sheer pain of 300 decibels running along their temples; their legs had buckled from under them. Rose backed away from the crying men withering on the floor. She was too shocked by what happened to feel any hurt for the men who had been hypnotised, that would come later when she had composed herself. It was easy to forget that they had once been human beings with free will. Placing the extinguisher down, Rose stood on her tiptoes to see what Faye had done. The sonic, of course.

"It's now or never," thought Faye. Still holding the button down on the sonic, Faye moved over to the machine, plucking up some cables with her spare hand, she started attaching them to the screaming Tota.

"She's gonna suck his soul out!" exclaimed Rose.


	19. Emptiness

Emptiness.

Reality, slowly slipping, slipping, falling away, the darkness, engulfing, pulling, smothering, tighter, deeper, pulling, slipping, falling.

This was what it felt like, this was what it had felt like for all those people, this was what they had felt when they had had their livelihoods stolen away from them, and this was what Tota was feeling.

His guttural roar came from deep within in him as he felt himself closing up on himself, his self falling away, as he slipped deeper into a sleepy unconsciousness, a sleep he doubted he would ever wake up from, so many thoughts span through his head, he was too confused to focus on one, so he thought about nothing as he slipped away. He fell and never stopped falling.

There was silence. An eerie haunting sound which was nothing.

Tota lay there, crooked, his eyes bulging, unmoving, like the Doctor next to him.

Faye just stood there.

She didn't know what to think anymore.

Something was telling her he deserved it but in the back of her mind, somewhere back there, something told her it had been wrong.

Rose looked down at the men on the floor, who were looking around them, fear and confusion in their hollow eyes. Rose knelt down next to them. She explained, she explained as best she could, they looked at her panic stricken as the tale unfolded and by the end they were left reeling by the story of what they had been turned into.

Rose pointed down the corridor, showing them the door; they got up hurriedly, wanting to be out of that place as fast as possible. Just as they were about to leave, Rose noticed something coming out of one of their jacket pockets.

"Oi, sorry, yeah you," she called after one of them, "can I have that?" she asked indicating to the pocket.

Slipping the key card into the holder, Rose slowly pushed the door open. She took in the scene around her. The devastated room was like a deserted battleground. Cables were everywhere, there was the smashed bottle, the sonic discarded on the floor, and 2 lifeless bodies.

Rose knew the Doctor wouldn't have done what Faye had done, but Rose didn't see how she could have done anything else.

Faye gapped open-mouthed at Tota. Her stunned silence made Rose feel like she had to whisper.

"I could have helped. Why'd you lock me outside?" this question had been nagging at her for a while now.

Faye turned to her. "He trusted me. He didn't trust you. Don't you see? He would have had you killed straight away," she said pleading with Rose to understand. Rose merely nodded. That thought hadn't occurred to her. It hadn't mattered at the time; she had just wanted to be in there, up against the monster that had done what he had done to her Doctor.

The Doctor, she turned to him. Leaving Faye with her own thoughts and Rose with hers.

She looked up at him, he was about a head taller than her and standing like that reminded Rose of how they used to hug. They always hugged, whenever anything went right, or wrong, they hugged. She didn't hug him now; it would be like hugging a coat stand.

He wouldn't hug her back.

Rose sighed, straightening herself up. She touched his face, very gently, stroked it, so delicately, with so much love. Quickly, she pulled away, this was wrong, it was wrong of her to touch his face when he wasn't aware of it.

Would he remember? Had that stroke given her away? Had it showed how much she loved him?

Would it make him realise? She stared into his eyes, no they were empty, she was sure of it. He wouldn't remember, that is if he did ever wake up, she still wasn't sure if Faye's plan would work.

On the spur of the moment she leant forward, planting a delicate kiss on his frozen lips.

He won't remember Rose reassured herself.

Stepping back, she turned to Faye, glancing down at the object in her hands. The bottle, the bottle containing the Doctor's soul.

Faye eyes met Rose's .

"Lets do this," said Rose.

A/N: EEEK! Hope y'all enjoyed! Pwease review! XD


	20. The Final Chapter

Faye looked up from fitting the bottle into the holder, "It's still fresh, Tota hadn't had the particles enhanced yet," she paused, sticking her tongue out in concentration as she adjusted the bottle, "which means, hopefully, we can reverse it," Faye looked up at Rose who was silently watching her with her arms firmly crossed with a waxen expression on her face.

Faye fixed on the final attachment, the needle. Rose gasped, "Hold on a minute there!" she exclaimed, pointing at it, "What the hell are you planning on doing with that!"

"What'd ya expect? How else are we gunna get it into him?"

"A NEEDLE!?"

"Yeah a needle, we need to inject it,"

Rose looked at Faye shocked, "Isn't there another way? Can't we use the thing Tota used to take it out of him?"

"No, that was sucking it out, we need to put it back in, so, it stands to reason that we need to inject it to put it back in,"

"Right," Rose said bluntly.

Faye leant forward.

"WAIT!" Rose put her hand out protectively.

Faye waited patiently.

"Will it, will it, hurt?" stuttered Rose.

Faye looked up at Rose, her face creased into a reassuring smile as she looked up at the worried 19 year old.

"No, not at all, it'll be just like an injection."

"Okay," said Rose, followed by a couple more okays under her breath. She clutched her fists tightly and squinted her eyes as Faye leant forward, slipping off the Doctor's jacket and placing the needle to the Doctor's bare arm.

She waited a few seconds before pushing the end. The liquid slowly left the container, and it wasn't too long until the bottle was drained. Faye leant back, pulling the needle away.

They waited.

Slowly, very slowly mind, the Doctor's eyelids started to flutter. Rose held her breath at first, fearing it was just her imagination, but soon it became evident he was in fact moving. Rose cried out in relief, "He's back!" as she rushed forward to help him into consciousness.

The Doctor stumbled forward, he couldn't help it, his legs felt heavy like lead and his head was spinning, but instead of crashing to the floor as he had expected would happen, he found himself in somebody's arms, trying to keep him upright.

Blindly, he reached out to them, trying to support himself. Slowly, the lights from the room started to seep into his eyes, his vision cleared, and there was Rose. Their eyes locked. That moment was one of the happiest he had had since long ago, before everything went black and everything burnt. For that moment he was transported, everything felt safe and good and he was happy when he looked into her eyes, in Rose he found peace.

The Doctor was the first to look away, he coughed, looking down at the floor, and then back up at Rose again, "Bit dizzy," he said laughing, Rose laughed with him. Wrapping her arms tight around him.

"Oh! I thought I'd lost you," she said stepping back.

"N'aww I'm always fine, me," he said grinning.

He looked over to where Tota was. His eyes seemed to convey nothing. He then turned to regard Faye. He looked at her for a while and then simply said, "Thankyou," she merely nodded, there was nothing to say. She knew the Doctor would have given Tota another chance, a chance she herself had never offered.

Outside the factory, the sun was setting. A hazy orange sky spread out across the horizon, nothing could be heard, silence, and still. This made the Doctor wary, there was often still before a storm. He looked away from the sky back to Rose, who was saying goodbye to Faye.

The Doctor turned to Faye himself, she looked at him with worried eyes, "Good luck Faye, good luck with your life, but there is something I want you to do first before you move on," he said to her in stern tones

"Sure, anything,"

The Doctor paused.

"I want you to find those people's relatives, track them down and bring them here, explain everything to them, help them locate their loved one, and restore them with the correct personality. I know that some people have already been lost, but help those that haven't,"

Faye nodded, she understood and she would do anything in her power to help those people and their families, she felt she owed it to them.

"Right then," said the Doctor, turning away.

"Off we go again," he said taking Rose's hand with a grin as he lead her off into the sunset.

Faye watched them for a while. The Doctor was clever, even an idiot could see that but it seemed strange to her that he couldn't see what was right in front of him. She sighed to herself and turned back into the warehouse muttering something to herself about love.

Rose looked at The Doctor out of the corner of her eye. Did he remember the kiss? There seemed to be a certain air about him, and a strange glint in his eyes. Rose knew if he had remembered her would never mention it and neither would she, they would just go on like before. She clasped his hand tighter, "So where exactly are we going?"

"Oh, well, I though how about stopping off on a trading planet and picking up some groceries, you know, retrotonic gears, globotectic harseners, some odd bits and bobs, hey, we could even pick up something for your mum,"

"She'll never be happy with it whatever we get her," said Rose

The Doctor laughed, "That's true enough. How about a bazulium? It's a weather divinatory…" His voice got quieter and quieter as they walked farther and farther away into the sunset.

The Doctor had been right, a storm was coming. A storm was coming fast.

A/N: All done folks! Hope it was okay, bit nervous that it didn't go well, please let me know what you thought!

DADDxxx


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